Rock Island daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1886-1893, 1887-12-14

II he dies list
"My lord hesitates The baron wastes no |
time in useless discussion. Let us by all |
means,' he says, consider the marriage as |
broken off, Ny lord shifts his ground, and |
pleads for smaller sum than the sum pro- |
posed. The baron briefly replies, 4 never
bargain My lord is in love; the natural re-
suit follows-he gives way.
$50 far, the baron has no cause to COM
plain But my lords turn comes, when the
marriage has been celebrated, and when the
honeymoon is over The baron has Joined
the married pair at palace which they have
hired in Venice He is still bent on solving
the problem of the Philosophers Stone His
laboratory is set up in the vaults beneath the
palace-so that smells from chemical expert
ments may not incommode the countess in
the higher regions of the house. The one
obstacle in the way of his grand discovery is,
as usual, the want q money. His position,
at the present time, has become truly criti-
CAL He owes debts of honor to gentlemen
in his own rank of life, which must positively
be paid; and he proposes, i'll his own friendly
manner, to borrow the money Of my lord.
My lord positively refuses, in the rudest
terms The baron applies to his sister to ex-
ercise her eonjugal influence, Sue can only
answer that her noble husband-being no
longer distractedly i'll love with her-now
appears in his true character as one of the
meanest men living The sacrifice OF the
marriage has been made, and has already
proved useless.
"Such is the state of affairs at the opening
of the second act.
THE entrance of the countess suddenly dis
turbs the baron's reflections. She is in state
bordering on frenzy lncoherent expressions
of rage burst from her lips; it is some time
before she can sufficiently control herself to
speak plainly. She has been doubly insulted
first, by a mental person in her employ
ment: secondly, by her husband. Her maid,
an Euglishwoman, has declared that she will
serve the countess no longer. She will give
up her wages and return at once to England.
Being asked her reason for this strange pro-
ceeding, she insoently hints that the coun-
tess service is no service for an honest
woman, since the baron has entered the
house. The countess does what any lady in
her position would do; she Indignantly dis
misses the wretch on the spot.
MY lord, hearing his wife's voice raised in
anger, leaves the study in which he is aceus-
| toned to shut himself up over his books, and
asks what this disturbance means The coun-
| tess informs him of the outrageous language
| and conduct of her maid Ny lord not only
| declares his entire APPROVAL of the woman's
| conduct, but expresses his own abomfnable
doubts of his wife's fidelity, in language of
| such horrible brutality that no lady could
| pollute her lips by repeating it If l had
been man. the countess says, and if had
had weapon in my hand l would have
struck him dead at my feetr
1.-THE baron, listening silently so far, now
speaks. Permit me TO finish the sentence for
you,' he says You would have struck your
husband dead at your feet, and by that rash
act you would have deprived yourself of the
Insurance money settled on the widow--the
very money which is wanted to relieve your
brother from the uncomfortable pecuniary 20
sition which he now occupiesp
1.-THE countess gravely reminds the baror
that this is no joking matter After what my
lord has said to her she has little doubt tina
be will communicate his Infamous suspicious
to his lawyers in England. If nothing is dom
to prevent it, she may be divorced and dis
graced and thrown on the world with no re
source but the sale of her jewels to keep he
from starving.
AT this moment the courier who has beel
engaged to travel with my lord from Englant
crosses the stage with letter to take to tn
post. The countess stops him and asks t
look at the address on the letter. She take
it from him for a moment and shows ii to he
brother The handwriting is my lords, an
the letter is directed to his lawyers in Lor
don.
THE courier proceeds to the postoffice. TIL
baron and the countess look at each other i
silence. No words are needed. They thol
oughly understand the position in which the
are placed; they clearly see the terrible rem
, edv for it. What is the plain alternative b.
fore them! Disgrace and ruin-or my lord
, death!
1.-The baron walks backward and forwar
in great agitation, talking to himself. tt
countess hears fragments of what he is sa,
ing He speaks of my lords constitute
probably weakened in India-of cold whit
my lord has caught two or three days since
of the remarkable manner in which SUI
! slight things as colds sometimes end in serio,
illness and death.
ale observes that the countess is listenr
, to him, and asks if she has anything to pr
] pDSt. OLE Is Ii Nbiildu WIN, VIII listUN u
fects, has the merit of speaking out is the
no such thing as a serious Illness she ask
'corked up in one of those bottles of yours
the vaults down stairsf
"The baron answers by gravely shaking
head. What is he afraid ofl-a possible e
animation of the body after deathi No:
can set any post mortem examination at d
fance. 1t is the process of administering t
poison that be breads. A man so dist
guished as my lord cannot be taken serious
ill without medical attendance. Where the
: is doctor there is always danger Of disco
cry. Then, again, there is the courier, fat
full to my lord as long as my lord pays hi
Even if the doctor sees nothing suspicion
the courier may disco yer something. 7
poison, to do its work with the necessary
crecy, must be repeatedly administered
graduated doses. One trifing miscalculati
or mistake may rouse suspicion. The insi
f ance Office NAV hear Of Ii, and may refuse
f pay the money. As things are, the bar
Y will not risk it, and will not allow his sister
r risk it in his place.
: my lord himself is the next character W
o appears. He has repeatedly rung for
e courier, and the bell has not been answers
a What does this insolence meanF
s "The countess Speaking with quiet digni
!: for why should her infamous husband ha
Y the satisfaction of knowing how deeply
has wounded hero reminds nv lord that
9 courier has gone to the post. My lord as
v suspiciously if she has looked at the lett
e The countess informs him coldly that she
e no curiosity about his letters. Referring
+ the cold from which he is suffering, she
n | quires if he thinks Of consulting a medi
4 man My lord answers roughly that he
= quite old enough to be Capable of DOCTOR
# himself.
"As he makes this reply, the courier ,
5 pears, returning from the post. My lc
n gives him orders to go out again and b
70 some lemons He proposes to try hot LENT
10 ade as a means OF inducing perspration
10 bed In that way he has formerly cur
Is colds, and in that way he will cure the CT
10 from which he is suffering now.
1t 1.-THE courier obeys in silence. Judging
IT appearances, he goes very reluctantly on t
5 second errand.
le my lord turns to the baron twho has Il
lie far taken no part in the conversation a
asks him, in sneering tone, how much lont
T. he proposes to prolong his stay in Veni
re- The baron answers quietly, Let Us spe
is plainly to one another, my lord. If you W
Is me to leave your house you have only to
f, the word, and l go Ny lord turns to
e. wife, and asks if she can support the calam
of her brothers acknowledging grossly
es sulting emphasis on the word brother I